YOUR VIEWS: Letters to the Editor / Dec. 26

>Standing up for animals deserves congratulations.>Morgan column on disasters left out some key facts.>Social security is the only pension law that works.

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Uticaod

Writer

Posted Dec. 19, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Dec 23, 2013 at 6:41 PM

Posted Dec. 19, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Dec 23, 2013 at 6:41 PM

Standing up for animals deserves congratulations

Kim Strong, founder of Lainey's Army, deserves kudos and recognition for her determination and bravery for her actions recently. Strong tied herself outdoors for five days and nights at the Justice for Lainey headquarters on Commercial Drive from Dec. 11-16 to protest Judge Barry Donalty's lack of punishment for the horrific actions of Ian West, who left his wife's dog, Lainey, chained outside for 42 days and nights with no food or water.

Poor Lainey died a slow, agonizing death. West received no fines or jail time for this heinous act, only probation. Strong and her army of animal lovers have been fighting animal abuse and for stronger punishment for abusers for a long time, but after this judge's ruling, she decided to take her protest a step further. She risked her own health and well-being, as the temperatures went to zero and below every night.

She said that "someone has to be a voice for Lainey and all the animals that suffer abuse" because they can't speak for themselves. Kim should be applauded for her heroic effort and all animal lovers should thank her and do everything and anything they can do to support the Justice for Lainey cause. Kim, we thank you, and the animals thank you!

PATTI GALLACHER, Clinton

Morgan column on disasters left out some key facts

Tom Morgan's Dec. 16 column belittles concerns about human-caused degradation of the environment and implies that we should worry more about catastrophic natural disasters. While we cannot do anything about natural disasters except be prepared, we can, with a little concern and effort, prevent human caused damage and that is why we should worry about it.

And yes, carbon dioxide is an essential component of the atmosphere but there is a just-right amount. Morgan fails to mention that in a few centuries we have dug up and burned carbon that was sequestered in the earth from billions of years of life processes.

In essence, we are converting our even more precious oxygen into unbreathable carbon dioxide at a prodigious rate. A Dec. 2, 2012, posting by CBS News states that "all the world's nations combined pumped nearly 38.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the air." Think of this as a not single Tambora eruption but as a continuous one that increases every year.

We can no longer pretend that our activities have no effect on the environment. Ma nature may well compensate, but not necessarily in a way that is favorable to human civilization.

ROY SENN, Utica

Social security is the only pension law that works

The only pension law that works is the social security system that applies to every American. Other public sector pensions and healthcare public plans have been co-opted by corrupt politicians that participate in such plans.

Page 2 of 2 - Public unions should only negotiate wages and working conditions and participate in grievances. The public sector pension must be eliminated and all funds should be immediately transferred to the unions to control and handle. Not one dollar of taxpayer money should be used any more for pensions or healthcare.

The unions controlling the pension funds and healthcare can charge appropriate fees and fund such plans through investments for their members. In this way the union serves a function for individual members and justifies mandatory membership.

The taxpayer should pay wages comparable to the work performed, but not a penny for benefits. The idea that wages can be kept lower because of benefits nurtures corruption.

The state in the past has leveraged pension funds on risky loans. Municipal employers should not have to suffer out of whack budgets caused by fees and charges changed throughout the year by third parties.